(PHOTO: Workers set up camp at Santiago's Rio Mapocho/Mason Bryan, The Santiago Times)Chile nears 1 month without mail service as postal worker protests continue. This week local branches of the 5 unions representing Correos de Chile voted on whether to continue their strike into a 2nd month, rejecting the union's offer. For a week the workers have set up camp on the banks of Santiago's Río Mapocho displaying banners outlining their demands; framing the issue as a division of the rich & the poor. The strike’s main slogan? “Si tocan a uno, nos tocan a todos,” it reads - if it affects 1 of us, it affects all of us. (Read more at The Santiago Times)

WHO convenes emergency talks on MERS virus

(PHOTO: Saudi men walk to the King Fahad hospital in the city of Hofuf, east of the capital Riyadh on June 16, 2013/Fayez Nureldine)The World Health Organization announced Friday it had convened emergency talks on the enigmatic, deadly MERS virus, which is striking hardest in Saudi Arabia. The move comes amid concern about the potential impact of October's Islamic hajj pilgrimage, when millions of people from around the globe will head to & from Saudi Arabia. WHO health security chief Keiji Fukuda said the MERS meeting would take place Tuesday as a telephone conference & he told reporters it was a "proactive move". The meeting could decide whether to label MERS an international health emergency, he added. The first recorded MERS death was in June 2012 in Saudi Arabia & the number of infections has ticked up, with almost 20 per month in April, May & June taking it to 79. (Read more at Xinhua)

LINKS TO OTHER STORIES

Dreams and nightmares - Chinese leaders have come to realize the country should become a great paladin of the free market & democracy & embrace them strongly, just as the West is rejecting them because it's realizing they're backfiring. This is the "Chinese Dream" - working better than the American dream. Or is it just too fanciful? By Francesco Sisci

The South: Busy at the polls - South Korea's parliamentary polls will indicate how potent a national backlash is against President Lee Myung-bak's conservatism, perceived cronyism & pro-conglomerate policies, while offering insight into December's presidential vote. Desire for change in the macho milieu of politics in Seoul can be seen in a proliferation of female candidates. By Aidan Foster-Carter

Pakistan climbs 'wind' league - Pakistan is turning to wind power to help ease its desperate shortage of energy,& the country could soon be among the world's top 20 producers. Workers & farmers, their land taken for the turbine towers, may be the last to benefit. By Zofeen Ebrahim

GEORGIA

FLAG DESCRIPTION: white rectangle with a central red cross extending to all four sides of the flag; each of the four quadrants displays a small red bolnur-katskhuri cross; although adopted as the official Georgian flag in 2004, the five-cross flag design appears to date back to the 14th centuryCapital | Tbilisi

Population | 4,585,874 (July 2011 est.)

Area | 4,934,413

Official Language | Georgian

Holidays | Independence Day, 26 May (1918); note - 26 May 1918 was the date of independence from Soviet Russia; 9 April 1991 was the date of independence from the Soviet Union.

Currency | Lari (GEL)

Time Zone | UTC +4

Best Time to Visit | May, June, and September for pleasant weather

Connecting with the Culture | Hiking in the magnificent Caucasus Mountains. Taking a walk in Batumi’s fragrant botanical gardens. Exploring the ancient cave monastery city at Vardzia. Strolling through the picturesque lanes of Tbilisi’s Old Town. Discovering the religious architecture at Mtskheta. Chilling out at a pebble-beach resort on the Black Sea coast.

Read | Please Don’t Call It Soviet Georgia by Mary Russel, an entertaining travelogue describing the period of upheaval leading to independence.

Listen | to Georgian Voices by the Rustavi Choir, Georgian music performed by a collection of singers from various parts of the country showcasing different styles and brilliant harmonies.

Characteristics | The stunning flora and fauna of the Caucasus; impressive cave complexes; elaborate toasting and revelry at a traditional dinner; cakes laden with cream, fruit and sugar; churches, monasteries and pagan temples.

Surprises |Until you experience a full Georgian meal, complete with lengthy toasting ceremonies, you can’t truthfully claim to have seen the real Georgia.

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HUMNEWS: CLOSING THE GEOGRAPHIC GAP IN MEDIA. Human Media, 2017.
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